FileThere weren't many restrictions on spectators at practice during Rich Brooks' tenure as Oregon coach, but that was a different era.

The new restrictions for watching Oregon football practices have been in place for a week, and I don't mind them.

During fall camp last season, spectators -- including media members -- were allowed to watch from the south sideline.

This year, everybody has been moved back to the soccer bleachers, on the other side of the soccer field. It means fans and reporters are watching from a distance. But if you bring binoculars, you don't miss much other than the smell of sweat and the possibility of being run over.

From a reportorial stand point, the biggest drawback to the new policy is the hardship placed on photographers.

It's hard to get a good action shot from that distance, even with a monster lens. There are players often standing between the photogs and the practicing players, making a clean shot difficult.

From a writer's standpoint, instead of standing under a hot sun, we're seated in a shaded press box with wireless internet and ethernet capabilties.

Nobody seems to know for sure what the policy will be once the season starts and the Ducks hold most of their practices inside the Moshofsky Center. It's possible that UO coach Chip Kelly will close practices completely, as he did for much of Oregon's BCS title game prep last season.

I have mixed feelings about that. I feel better prepared to write profiles and game stories if I can see practices. But it would free up time too. I covered Oregon football in the mid-1980s with the late John Conrad, the former R-G sports editor. Conrad used to hope for closed practices.

In those days, former UO coach Rich Brooks rarely closed practices. There were times when he would come over and chat with the writers in attendance -- often, just Conrad and me. Very few fans watched practice. You could count them on two hands and have fingers left over.

Times have changed. There is a heavier media presence now, with the proliferation of online sites. There are lots of fans in attendance, and I'm sure Kelly has concerns about who is watching and what information might get passed on to upcoming opponents.

Whatever the media policy, we'll do our best to comply and still be as interesting and accurate as we can be.

Addicted to Quack's summary of Oregon news, including the Ducks' first "competition day." I find it suspicious that the "competition days" are always so close. The scoring system seems arbitrary, contrived and geared to making sure that the winner isn't decided until the very end of practice.

George Schroeder of the R-G: While the SEC talks expansion, should we be thinking about a Pac-16? My view? Unlikely. I don't think the Pac-12 gains anything with expansion that it doesn't already have.